[pct-l] Northern half of Washington

[Barry Teschlog]

Judith asked:

Any thoughts on probability of early rains (snows?) up
there [with an August 25 start]?

Reply:  So, I section hiked Washington from '01 to '05 before doing the thru in '06.  Most of my sections were one at a time, in late August / early September - I tagged them onto the Labor Day weekend to save on vacation days.  I got rained on, to some level, on each and every one of them.  The first one was for 3 days straight, in varying intensity, with some brief, gloomy breaks, but it never stopped long enough to dry things out.  Other sections only had a few minutes to hours of rain.  That said, on average, late August to early / mid September is usually pretty nice.  But, the prudent will prepare for the very real possibility of less than optimal conditions.


I also got rained on during the thru, both south and north of Snoqualmie, again, for several days, although that was mid / late September.

I would highly recommend you come prepared for several days of steady rain, with little opportunity to field dry your gear in between town stops.  I've found having an extra sheet of plastic is extremely helpful for packing up in the rain as one can "taco shell" wrap their gear while taking down the shelter.  It also can be an extra rain fly, poncho, etc.  A sheet of thin plastic of useful size, say 3 by 7 to 8 feet weighs but a few ounces.